The political atmosphere in Osun State heightened on Thursday as the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, exchanged words over Governor Ademola Adeleke’s screening ahead of the 2026 governorship election.
Governor Adeleke was screened at the PDP National Secretariat, Legacy House, Abuja, alongside other aspirants of the party.
The screening, which was held behind closed doors, had in attendance top party leaders, including the South West Vice Chairman, Kamarudeen Ajisafe; Osun State PDP Chairman, Sunday Bisi; Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye; and Commissioners Dr. B.T. Salami and Rev. Bunmi Jenyo.
After the exercise, Governor Adeleke told reporters that his administration had delivered on its promises to the people of Osun State and was confident of victory in the forthcoming polls.
The governor added that his administration’s performance had earned it widespread public support.
We have delivered good governance to our people in Osun. Our records and popularity are unrivalled. So we are ready for victory come 2026.
“We have the full backing of the people. Election is about voters and we know our people love us. We have strong faith in God and the people that we are going to secure re-election overwhelmingly,” he stated.
He also expressed confidence in the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring a credible process.
Our popularity is known nationally due to our excellent records of performance within less than three years in office. We are confident the will of the people will prevail in the best interest of democracy,” Adeleke noted.
However, in a swift reaction, the Osun State chapter of the APC described the PDP screening as a face-saving move following what it alleged was Adeleke’s failed attempt to defect to the opposition party.
The APC urged the governor to begin preparing his handover note ahead of the 2026 election.
In a statement signed by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the APC accused the governor of running a shallow and mediocre administration.
The statement alleged that over ₦60 billion had been spent on the Governor’s Office in 35 months “without recruiting a single teacher into the state’s schools.”
The APC claimed that Adeleke’s administration had failed to adequately fund education, forcing tertiary institutions to increase fees arbitrarily.
“No fewer than 32,000 citizens were duped of their hard-earned money under the guise of teacher recruitment,” the statement alleged.
The opposition party maintained that Adeleke’s re-election bid was doomed, describing his performance as “riddled with misgovernance, misplaced priorities, vengeance, and wastage of resources.”
It also alleged that the governor had made fruitless efforts to defect to the APC, claims the PDP and Adeleke’s camp have repeatedly denied.
According to the APC, “Today’s kangaroo screening is a mere smokescreen to save Adeleke from the embarrassment his rejection by the APC generated. Information available to us confirms that he was still found last week loitering around Aso Villa, begging and genuflecting for a soft landing to join the APC.”
The party asserted that “no political party under which he may contest next year’s election would save him from defeat. The people of Osun had already “screened him out” based on his record in office.
“The major problem that Governor Adeleke is contending with is the fear of the array of super-qualified governorship aspirants in our party who are all individually capable of defeating him.”
The APC said it was ready to reclaim Osun in 2026, declaring that “the forthcoming election is for Adeleke and his rudderless party to lose, considering the poor and unfriendly public perception of their government.”